Author: Rodney Twelftree

Principal Cast : Zack Galifianakis, Lauren Lupkus, Ryan Gaul, Jiavani Linayao, Edi Patterson, Rekha Shankar, Mary Scheer, Mary Holland, Matt Besser, Phil Hendrie, Paul Rust, AD Miles, Blake Clarke, Will Ferrell, Mandell Maughan. Synopsis: Zach Galifianakis “dreamed of becoming a star. But when Will Ferrell discovered his public access TV show Between Two Ferns and uploaded it to Funny Or Die, Zach became a viral laughing stock. Now Zach and his crew are taking a road trip to complete a series of high-profile celebrity interviews and restore his reputation. ******** From his breakout role in The Hangover,…

Principal Cast : Scott Menville, Tara Strong, Khary Payton, Hynden Walch, Greg Cipes, Kevin Michael Richardson, Robert Morse, Grey Griffin, Rhys Darby, Sean Maher, “Weird Al” Yankovic. Synopsis: The comedic modern-day quintet takes on their 2003 counterparts when villains from each of their worlds join forces to pit the two Titan teams against each other. They’ll need to set aside their differences and work together to combat Trigon, Hexagon, Santa Claus and time itself in order to save the universe. ******** If you’re one of the few who skipped or…

Principal Cast : Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton, Jonathan Ke Huy Quan, John Matuszak, Robert Davi, Joe Pantoliano, Anne Ramsey, Mary Ellen Trainor, Keith Walker, Steve Antin, Lipe Ontiveros, Michael Paul Chan. Synopsis: A group of young misfits who call themselves The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on a quest to find a legendary pirate’s long-lost treasure. ******** I’ll admit to a fair amount of positive bias with this review. As a child of the 1980’s, I sit dead center…

Principal Cast : Akira Takarada, Toru Watanabe, Toru Ibuki, Chotaro Togin, Hideo Sunazuka, Kumi Mizuno, Pair Bambi, Jun Tazaki, Akihiko Hirata, Hideyo Amamoto, Haruo Nakajima, Hiroshi Sekita. Synopsis: A young man steals a boat to find his brother, but he and his shipmates become shipwrecked on a mysterious island inhabited by a giant sea monster and a slumbering Godzilla. ******** More a curiosity in the Godzilla pantheon than an outright classic, 1966’s Ebirah, Horror of The Deep (and retitled as Godzilla Vs The Sea Monster in the US two years…

Principal Cast : Sasha Luss, Helen Mirren, Luke Evans, Cillian Murphy, Lera Abova, Alexander Petrov, Nikita Pavlenko, Anna Krippa, Aleksey Maslodudov, Eric Godon, Ivan Franek, Jean-Baptiste Puech. Synopsis: Beneath Anna Poliatova’s striking beauty lies a secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill to become one of the world’s most feared government assassins. ******** French director Luc Besson returns to the genre for which he’s most closely identified – the Female Assassin Film – and delivers a routine, generic knockoff of his own, far superior works, most notable Nikita…

Principal Cast : Aretha Franklin, Reverend James Cleveland, CL Franklin, Bernard Purdie, Chuck Rainey, Clara Ward, Sydney Pollack. Synopsis: A documentary presenting Aretha Franklin with choir at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles in January 1972. ******** Arguably one of the finest voices of the 20th Century, legendary singer Aretha Franklin forms the focus of this fascinating documentary from from 1972, in which the artist records her most successful gosel album, “Amazing Grace,” in front of a captivated New Bethel Baptist Church audience as well as director Sydney Pollack…

Principal Cast : Fisher Stevens, Michael McKean, Cynthia Gibb, Jack Weston, David Hemblen, Dee McCafferty, Don Lake, Ally Sheedy, Gerry Parkes, Voice of Tim Blaney. Synopsis: Robot Johnny Five comes to the city and gets manipulated by criminals who want him for their own purposes. ******** The robot who once cried out “no disassemble” becomes a literal assembly line production in Short Circuit 2, as Johnny 5 takes on new York City (although filmed primarily in Toronto, Canada) with the assistance of the fumbling, clown-car representative of minority in Fisher…

Principal Cast : Steve Guttenberg, Ally Sheedy, Tim Blaney (Voice), Fisher Stevens, Austin Pendleton, GW Bailey, Brian McNamara, Marvin J McIntyre, Penny Stanton, Vernon Weddle, Barbara Tarbuck. Synopsis: When one of five highly advanced robots in a laboratory is accidentally struck by a lightning power surge, he gains sentience, escapes, and befriends a woman who runs a local animal shelter. ******** This seminal 80’s techno-comedy has lost none of its charm or sentimentalism in the years since; nostalgia blossoms hard for Short Circuit, the endlessly quotable kiddie-flick that delivers quirky…